She’d nodded eagerly, pathetically grateful for any crumb he threw her way.
The afternoon had dragged on, though, bringing with it the knowledge that something had changed. Neil had changed it.
She stood close to the stone bridge that straddled the dark water, hands deep in the pockets of her coat. The wind gusted, loud and angry. A duck splashed nearby, startling her.
Damn it, she shouldn’t be standing here like a criminal. Or a prostitute.
It struck her as strange that this spot had once seemed so romantic. It was where they’d shared their first kiss.
She’d seen him at the hospital before then, of course, and they’d exchanged smiles and a few words while they’d been at the coffee machine or travelling in the lift together. There’d been no hint of what was to come until, one June evening, Megan had decided to walk along the towpath to enjoy some rare sunshine. Neil had been out for his usual run and they’d stopped to chat. One minute Megan had been telling him she lived near the canal and the next he’d been kissing her. Ten minutes later, he’d been in her shower. Eleven minutes later, he carried her to bed.
Things had been good between them. Life had been an exciting whirl of secretive smiles, note passing, sneaked meetings and hot sex.
The only problem had been Neil’s wife. If not for her—
Surprisingly, given the strength of the wind, she heard Neil’s feet pounding along the towpath before she saw the man himself.
He stopped in front of her and put his hands on his knees as he got his breath back.
“Hi,” he said, still breathless.
She wanted him to take her in his arms, to lead her back to her house, to take a shower with her, to make love to her.
This deserted spot felt anything but romantic now. It was too dark to see the litter, but she guessed there would be empty beer cans under the bridge and maybe a syringe or two. It was where the town’s drunks and drug addicts came to get high. There was a nasty smell too. Probably urine.
“So,” she said. “To what do I owe this unexpected—pleasure.”
He’d been brushing hair back from his face, smile in place, but he stopped. Her tone had him frowning at her. “Sorry?”
“Why do you want to see me?”
She could guess. He was moving on to pastures new. He’d left Linda for Sonia, and he’d left Sonia for her. She’d been naive to believe she was The One. Neil liked the thrill of the chase, the newness and excitement of it all. He didn’t like relationships. They were too difficult for him.
“Oh, I bet I know.” Outwardly, she was calm. Inside she was seething. “I haven’t seen her, but I’ve heard about the new temporary addition to your staff. A young blonde, isn’t she?”
Even as she spoke, a tiny spark of hope refused to die. If he’d just take her in his arms and tell her he loved her, she’d forgive him anything.
“What are you talking about, Megan?”
“You’ve obviously got something to tell me. It’s nothing short of a miracle that you came into the ward and spoke to me. Usually, you treat me like slug slime, something to be avoided in case, God forbid, anyone should see us and put two and two together.”
“Megan, sweetheart.”
“Don’t sweetheart me. Just say what you have to, Neil.”
He didn’t speak, he looked at her in an odd sort of way, as if he couldn’t make up his mind.
She guessed he’d talk about his children, how they were growing up and how he needed to be there for them. He’d promise to meet her for a coffee now and again, maybe take her out for a drink one evening. She could almost hear him telling her they’d always be friends.
He didn’t say a word and that in itself unnerved her.
“Come on, then,” she said. “You want to tell me it’s over, don’t you?”
“Megan, I don’t know what’s got into you,” he said at last. “Of course I don’t want to tell you it’s over. God, you’re the only thing that makes sense at the moment. You know that.” He ran his hands through his hair in a gesture that had always turned her on. Now it left her cold. “We haven’t seen much of each other because I’ve had things to deal with. That blasted investigator for one.”
Of course!
“I swear to God, Neil, I didn’t tell him anything.” She was still reeling from the shock of having the man in her home. “I told him about Teresa, said that she knew we were at the hospital, that’s all. He must have spoken to her and she must have mentioned Sonia. I swear to God I never mentioned Sonia’s name.”
“I know that, sweetheart. I know.” He grabbed her wrist. “Come here.”
She stood in front of him and she was frightened. It wasn’t the temperature making her shiver. She’d been crazy to think he’d come here to end things. How could he? He was angry with her for talking to Dylan Scott, for not sounding sure about their movements on the day of Carly’s murder. It hadn’t been like that though. Scott had taken her by surprise.
“There’s no harm done,” Neil said. “I can vouch for you being at the hospital and you can vouch for me. So long as we both swear we were there—”
“But we weren’t, were we? Neither of us was at the bloody hospital that afternoon. That investigator will find out, he’ll tell the police—”
“Of course he won’t. For God’s sake, Megan, get a grip.” His scowl was menacing in the dim, almost nonexistent light. “Don’t you dare go falling apart on me now.”
He was strong and held her wrist firm. No more than six inches away from her, the deep dark water swirled to the beat of the wind. No one could see them. There was no one in earshot. He could do as he wished with her and no one would hear her cries. If he pushed her—
“You’ll speak to no one,” he said. “Got that?”
“I can’t stand this, Neil. That investigator will—”
“He’ll do nothing, you stupid bitch.” He lifted his hand to slap her. It was difficult to tell who was more surprised, him or her. She didn’t stop to find out.
She ran.
It wasn’t far to her house, but he was fitter. He was wearing running shoes, she had on low heels. It was madness to think she could outrun him.
She could hear a pounding, but didn’t know if it was Neil gaining on her or if it was the blood pumping in her ears.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sue would be thankful when the day was over. She’d been up early, cleaning the place for Alek’s parents. They wouldn’t say anything, conversation would be as polite and strained as usual, but she knew she’d fall well short of their expectations. When your house was filled with animals, it was difficult to assume the role of domestic goddess.
She had no idea what had prompted this visit but she wished it hadn’t. They could only talk about Alek’s plight for so long and, other than that, they had little to say to each other. She knew nothing of their life or their friends, and they were ignorant of hers.
On her way back from her great-aunt’s nursing home yesterday, she’d bought supplies. Given the awful weather, hot stew and dumplings might have been more appropriate, but she was giving them salad with plenty of smoked ham for lunch. She wasn’t the greatest cook in the world, and she didn’t want to risk giving them a meal that tasted of failure. She’d made a trifle for dessert and, if they stayed any longer, which she hoped they wouldn’t, they’d have to make do with a sandwich or biscuits.
She looked at her gleaming kitchen and her clean jeans and decided she and the house were as ready as they were ever going to be.
Spice, an ancient tabby, wandered into the kitchen, stretched and scrambled onto a chair. Sue picked her up and gave her a stroke.
“They’ll never like me,” she told Spice. “They hate me for not being Carly. And for marrying Alek. They probably hate me for not having a job that brings in some money too.”
Spice purred her understanding and nuzzled Sue’s chin.
The Kaminskis had hoped to arrive by ten o’clock and, by ten-fifteen, Sue’s hopes started to rise. Maybe they
couldn’t come after all. Perhaps the traffic was bad and they’d decided to turn around and go home.
At ten-twenty, a car horn tooted. Her spirits sinking, Sue peeped behind the curtain in time to see Agata climb out of the car and reach inside to retrieve a bulging shopping bag from the backseat. Frederyk joined her, took the bag and stood for a moment to look at the house. He said something to his wife and they began walking up the path.
Sue took a deep breath and went to open the door for them.
“Frederyk, Agata, how lovely to see you. Thank you so much for coming.”
“You’re looking well, dear.” Agata gave her the customary hug. “We should have come before.”
Agata took the bag from Frederyk and they walked along the hall and into the kitchen. “We’ve brought a few things for lunch. A pie—steak and kidney. I hope you don’t mind. I thought we should contribute, but I’d hate you to think I was taking over. I know you’re perfectly capable, but—”
“It’s fine. Thank you very much.”
Agata was nervous. They didn’t have Alek to act as go-between and she was as nervous as Sue.
“Good.” Agata gave a small, relieved smile. “I thought wine, too. Frederyk can’t have any because he’s driving, but you and me, Susan, we can have a drop.”
The last person to call her Susan had been the vicar who’d christened her.
“You shouldn’t have bothered,” she said, “but thank you. And yes, Agata, we’ll have a glass of wine. Let me take your coats and get you a drink after that long drive. Did you have a good journey?”
While they discussed the state of the UK’s roads and the weather, Sue thought that Agata seemed to be shrinking with every passing month. Frederyk, too, looked beaten by life. The couple looked bewildered.
They had something in common, after all. Sue shared something with these people that Carly never had. The three of them were trying, and finding it difficult, to cope with seeing the person they loved most in the world caged like an animal. She felt herself unexpectedly warming to these people.
She wasn’t sure of their exact ages, although she knew Frederyk was four years older than his wife. Agata was somewhere in her early seventies. Sue remembered Alek visiting her on her seventieth birthday. That meant Frederyk was probably closer to eighty than seventy. That they’d undertaken this long journey surprised her. She felt the burden of guilt pressing down.
To be polite, Sue supposed, Frederyk suggested they look round the kennels. Sue passed a pleasant hour explaining where the animals had come from and telling them how Alek had built the examination rooms.
Another surprise came when Agata fell in love with Friday, a pretty but unsociable smoke-grey cat.
“She’s about twelve, we think,” Sue said. “She was dumped here with her four kittens. We have a waiting list for kittens and puppies, so as soon as they’d been given a clean bill of health, we rehome them. Friday’s been here for three years though. No one wants an old cat. Especially an unsociable one like Friday.”
“Oh, the poor thing.” Agata stroked the cat and, surprisingly, wasn’t spat at or hissed at.
“She’s taken to you,” Sue said with a smile.
“Would she settle in a new home after so long?” Agata asked.
“I don’t see why not. I think she’d love company and a bit of fuss. Once she got used to it, that is.”
“Frederyk, look at her.” Agata’s voice was pleading.
Frederyk looked from the cat to his wife and gave her a smile that touched Sue. In that smile was all the love a woman could need.
“Would she mind being confined indoors?” Agata asked. “We don’t have a garden. Well, you know what our flat’s like. But if she wouldn’t mind that, we could give her a home.”
“You could? Oh, my goodness. Well, yes, of course she’d love it. I don’t know her history, but she’s been an indoor cat for the last three years. Are you sure, Agata?”
Agata looked at Frederyk and received that warm smile again.
“I’m sure,” Agata said. “If she doesn’t settle or if she hates life with us, can we bring her back?”
“Of course.” Sue was delighted for Friday. She was a stroppy, unsociable cat but she deserved a chance of happiness. It would also be one less hungry mouth to feed. “Let’s sort out her paperwork and a travelling box. She’s healthy enough and all her vaccinations are up to date. If there are any problems, give me a ring.”
Sue could understand Agata’s delight. When there was something missing from your life, a cat was always willing to soak up any spare love. She knew that only too well. These days, it was the animals she confided in, the dogs who listened to her outpourings and mopped up her tears.
Preparing Friday for her departure took time and they were late sitting down to lunch. Agata helped prepare the food while Frederyk glanced through the local newspaper.
Sue opened the wine and poured a glass each for her and Agata.
“Cheers,” she said, chinking her glass against Agata’s. “Here’s to the future. To Dylan Scott’s success. To Alek’s return.”
“Hear, hear,” Frederyk said.
“I phoned Dylan last night,” Sue said, as they tucked in to pie and vegetables. “I wanted to know how Alek was when he saw him. He said he was doing well. Said he sounded cheerful enough.”
Agata nodded. “He keeps himself cheerful.”
He did, but Sue had no idea how. In his shoes, she’d go crazy. She couldn’t bear the thought of being locked up in that place and knew she wouldn’t be able to cope.
She’d been eight years old when two friends, Louise and Jenny, during a supposed game of hide-and-seek, had locked her in a cellar. The idea had been for Sue to wait in the cellar at Jenny’s house while the two girls hid. After counting to a hundred, Sue would then race off and find them. Except, as a joke, the two girls had locked her in that cellar. All these years later, the memory still made Sue’s heart race. She’d panicked, thought she wouldn’t be able to breathe, and had screamed and kicked at that door until they released her. The idea of being locked in a room had terrified her ever since. No way could she survive in a prison cell.
“He’s a nice young man, isn’t he?” Agata said. “Dylan, I mean.”
“He is. Very clever, too, by all accounts. I looked him up on the internet and he’s been very successful in his other cases.” Not that he’d had many cases. Only a couple of missing persons that had caught the headlines. His main claim to fame was being dismissed from the police force in disgrace. “If only he could prove Alek’s innocence. If only people would accept that it was someone else, that a burglar had entered that house.”
“We must put our faith in Dylan,” Agata said. “His mother said he won’t give up until he learns the truth.”
“I’m sure he won’t,” Sue said. “One day, Alek will be home again. We have to believe that.”
To add courage to her conviction, she poured them another glass of wine. She rarely drank wine, or anything else, because alcohol didn’t agree with her. It didn’t agree with her bank balance either. The first glass had made her a little light-headed. She was a blink away from bursting into tears too.
“I always thought that temper of his would get him into trouble,” Frederyk said. “He wouldn’t have upset Carly, I know that, but I expect that temper raised its head when the police called on him.”
Agata didn’t comment and Sue wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t deny Alek had a temper. He’d flare up over the slightest thing if he was in one of his moods. A couple of years ago, someone had put a brick through his van’s window. It was only the small window at the back so, even if there had been anything of value in the van, which there wasn’t, no thief would have been able to gain access. That display of mindless vandalism had shown her the ugly side of Alek. He’d vowed vengeance on the person responsible and it had been a couple of days before Sue could speak to him without being on the receiving end of his anger.
Such events were ra
re, though. Sometimes, Alek could cloak himself in silence. On those occasions, Sue knew not to push him as experience had taught her he’d flare up. When he felt like talking, he would. She’d learned to wait until the anger passed.
“I made a trifle,” she said, changing the subject. “Is anyone going to join me?”
Frederyk and Agata accepted a helping of trifle and both complimented her on it.
Agata helped with the washing up, Sue made them coffee and they were soon loading a boxed and not-too-happy cat into the car.
“I’ll let you know how she settles in,” Agata said.
“Do that. Phone me this evening, just to let me know you got home safely.”
Frederyk looked surprised by the request. Pleased, too. “We will, love,” he promised.
The endearment, one that Carly would have grown used to, touched Sue. “Speak soon,” she said.
She stood by her gate, waving until the car was out of sight. The day had been far better than she’d anticipated, the ice had finally been broken, and a little warmth had seeped into their relationship. Yet she still found herself wondering what had prompted their visit.
Not finding an answer, she went inside, changed into more suitable clothes and headed outside to check on the animals.
She had Misty, a young collie, on the leash when Jamie’s car pulled up. She was sure he wasn’t due to visit today.
Monty was sitting in the passenger seat, looking as if he owned the car. Sue hoped he’d stay there because Misty didn’t like other dogs. Or cats. Or horses, she’d discovered. Misty loved people, and that was as far as it went.
Jamie got out of his car and locked it, leaving Monty to watch proceedings from behind his window.
“Hi, Jamie. I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“I know. I was passing so I thought I’d call in and check that all was well. I’ll have a look at the staffie while I’m here, if you like.”
“That would be great, thanks. I’m pleased with her, though. She’s picked up a lot. You can find her yourself, can’t you? I’m about to take Misty out.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Silent Witness (A Dylan Scott Mystery) Page 17